Wire-fence tool.



m5. 705,504. Patented July 22, I902. 13. WHIPPLE.

WIRE FENCE LOOL.

(Application filed Apr. 29, 1902.)

(In ludol.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WHIPPLE, OF ASHLEY, OHIO.

WIRE-FENCE TOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 705,504, dated July 22, 1902.

Application filed April 29, 1902.

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES WHIPPLE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Ashley, in the county of Delaware and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and Improved Wire-Fence Tool, of which the follow ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

the line-wire, enabling the operator to use both his hands for the purpose of coiling the ends of the staple around the line-wire at the side edges of the lath or'stay.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the severalparts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

, Figure 1 isa plan view of the tool applied to a stay or lath and a line-wire of a wire fence, the lath appearing-in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the tool; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tool, illustrating the manner in which it is applied.

The body A of the tool is preferably of rectangular shape and is provided at its rear end with a handle 10. Its forward end 11 is more or less concaved, and at the side edges of the concaved end 11 horizontal slots 12 are produced. The upper surface of the body A at its forward end 11 is downwardly inclined or curved, as is shown best in Fig. 3, in order that thematerial engaged by the said forward end 11 of the body may be made visible to the operator of the tool.

At each side. of the body near its handle end a clamping-arm B is pivoted, and said clamping-arms extend beyond the front end of the body, their forward free portions being downwardly curved, and at the forward or free end of each arm B a head 14 is provided, and in the rear edge of each head a renear its under surface.

Serial No. 105,182. (No model.)

cess 15 is produced. The clamping-arms B are limited in their downward movement and the body is limited in its upward movement by projections 16 from the sides of the body In the drawings said projections are shown produced by securing a cross-bar in the under surface of the body flush with said surface, which cross-bar extends beyond the side edges of the body; but the projections 16 may be an integral portion of the body. When the clamping-arms]? rest upon the body projections 16, their heads 14 and recesses 15 are below the pivot-points of the arms and below the plane of the under surface of the body, particularly below the clampingend 11 of the body.

In the drawings, 0 represents a line-wire of a wire fence, D a lath or stay to be secured to vthe line-wire, and E a wire staple of suitable length whereby to secure the lath or stay to the linewire, andin the drawings the face of the lath which engages with the line-wire is shown straight, while the opposing face is shown convexed; but it will be understood that both of said faces may be made straight, and it will also be understood that the forward or working end 11' of the tool may be made more or less straight and that a greater or a less distance may be provided between the headsof the arms B and the forward or working' end of the body of the tool, as such distance will be determined by the thickness of the lath or stay to be operated upon.

In operation the line-wires O are properly stretched and supported at their ends. A lath or stay is then placed against the linewires and the arms B are passed at each side of the lath or stay D, and the recesses 15' in the head ends of said arms are made to receive a line-wire C from above, as is shown in Fig. 3. The staple E, which is placed in engagement with the lath, its free end resting upon and extending beyond the line-wire, is then engaged at its bow portion by the forward end 11 of the body 'A, as isalso shown in Fig. 3, and the handle of the body of the tool is then pressed downwarduntil the arms B rest upon the body projections '16, as is shown in Fig. 1, whereupon as the-gripping portions of the arms B will be below the pivots of said arms the device will remain in a substantially horizontal position and the line wire will be held drawn to the lath and the staple will be firmly held in engagement with the opposite surface of the lath, while the bow portion of the staple will be sunken more or less in the lath, particularly at the side edges of the lath, due to the slots 12 produced in the forward end of the body of the tool. A second tool F is then employed to wind the ends of the staple around the line-wire, which auxiliary tool, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3, consists of a handle-section 17 and a headsection 18, having an aperture therein to receive an end of the staple. An end of the wire staple is passed through the aperture in the head of the auxiliary tool, and this tool is then carried around the line-wire, causing the end of the staple carried by the tool to be tightly coiled around the line-wire. After one end of a staple has been thus fastened the auxiliary tool is applied in a similar manner to the opposite end of the staple which is twisted on the line-wire. The main tool is then removed from engagement with the staple and the lath and is applied to the lath farther down to secure it in like manner to the lower line-wire of the fence.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A wire-fence tool consisting of a body portion having a handle at its rear end, projections from the side portions of the said body, and clamping-arms pivotally attached to the sides of the body, which clamping-arms extend over the projections and beyond the forward end of the body, the forward ends of the clamping-arms being downwardly curved and terminating in heads, which heads when the arms rest upon the projections are beyond the plane of the under surface of the body, as set forth.

2. A wire-fence tool consisting of a bodysection having a handle at its rear end and its forward end concaved, projections from the side portions of the body, clamping-arms pivoted to the sides of the body, being adapted in one position to rest on the said projections, which clamping-arms extend beyond the forward end of the body and are downwardly-curved at their forward ends, terminating in heads having recesses in their inner edges, the recesses and the heads being below the plane of the under surface of the said body, as set forth.

3. In a wire-fence tool, a body-section having a handle at its rear end, its upper surface at its forward end being downwardly-inclined and its forward end being provided with horizontal slots at its side portions, projections from the sides of the body, clamping-arms pivoted to said side portions of the body, which arms in one position rest upon the said projections, the said arms extending beyond the forward end of the body, the projecting portions of the arms being downwardly and forwardly curved and provided with recesses in their inner edges near their forward terminals, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES WHIPPLE.

WVitnesses:

W. G. McOURnY, 0. M. GILBERT. 

